Running column: See and be seen as daylight gets shorter

Now that it’s fall, we at Playmakers certainly do not want to encourage staying in and hibernating until the spring. Just the opposite in fact! It’s the perfect time to get out and get active. However, it’s important to make sure that everyone in our community is taking precautions to exercise in the safest way possible…especially this time of year.

At this point every year I find myself in disbelief that the summer went by so quickly. Fall brings a plethora of great things; apple cider, pumpkin flavored everything, spooky costumes, great lakes surfing (yes that’s a thing!), Thanksgiving and the cooler-yet-manageable temperatures that are ideal to get out and exercise.

Fall also means shorter days and less sunlight. Michigan fall brings an end to daylight savings which means that if you’re running or walking, you’re likely doing it in the dark.

This November is National Run Safety Month and at Playmakers we want to bring as much awareness as possible to our community that runners and walkers are exercising in the dark and need to be seen.

When we’re out and excising in the dark, we have a responsibility to be seen by improving our visibility. But, Run Safety Month is also about raising the awareness of motorists that people are out there exercising in the dark. Each year, 4,000 pedestrians are killed in the United States due to car crash related injuries.

Of those deaths, 70% of them occur between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. This time period (hours that are typically dark during this part of the year) is the biggest contributing factor to pedestrian-related fatalities.

Here are some general tips that can help increase your visibility:

•Wear as colors as bright as possible

Avoid black or at least make sure that it isn’t the only color that you have on.

•Incorporate both active and passive visibility

Passive visibility is any reflective material that requires a light to be on it for you to be seen.

Active visibility is a flashlight, blinking light, head lamp or etc. that can be seen without any light source being shined on it. Active light helps you not only to be seen but also to see.

Using both active and passive visibility allows you to be seen six times farther than using just passive alone.

•Incorporate 360° of visibility with multiple points

If possible, try to make sure you have active and passive light that can be seen from front, back and both sides of your body.

Try to place active and passive light at parts of your body that are moving (bicep, legs, feet, ect.)

General movement draws more attention and catches motorists eye and allows motorists to perceive you as a runner or walker and not as a street light.

Use the tips above to improve your visibility but also remember that runners and walkers should run against traffic. This allows you to respond to a car that may be veering off the road.

Run defensively; make sure that you are ready to react. Our awareness should be especially high when running through an intersection and at dusk; it’s a common misconception that these tips only applying to darkness, but visibility can be even worse at dusk.

Some other important tips are to not wear headphones, wear an ID, tell someone you’re going on a run or walk, exercise with a friend, take your phone, know your route, and constantly examine your surroundings.

During November’s National Run Safety Month, we want to help promote better awareness for pedestrians and motorists in our community; we will be giving out a free light and visibility tip sheet through the Nov. 9 with any athletic shoe purchase.

Come into Playmakers during Run Safety Month to check out our visibility products so you can get outside, stay safe and enjoy exercising this fall.

Spencer Beatty ran cross country and track and field at Michigan State University and is full time at Playmakers as a team-leader and essentials buyer.